From specimen to landscape: the use of photography in biological science and its implementation

The first photographic image ever was taken in France in 1826. It needed an exposure time of several days. In 2014 an estimated 1.8 billion pictures were taken in one single day. Biologists began to use photography for the documentation of species already in its early days. Thank to this we know more about species that are extinct today. The digital revolution lead to a democratization in photography. This also created a big boost in in the use of photographic pictures in ecology and conservation.Today self-releasing photo traps are used in huge numbers in wildlife habitats all over the world. They provide valuable data on animal species that in many cases were never observed in the area. Further, photo traps are installed to census populations of species that are difficult to observe visually. Newest technology using drones carrying cameras provide new means to monitor e.g. habitat use and movement patterns of vertebrate species on a larger scale.On the botanical side, photography was used already very early to document outstanding specimen. Comparisons of early landscape photographs with present day photos allow analyses of vegetation development and changes. Digital images are used to study vegetation patterns at large scales at relatively low costs. Temporal series of photographic images of vegetation borders like arctic and alpine tree-lines may help to understand impacts of climate change across whole biomes.Today photography increasingly helps to promote new fields in biology. Nonprofessionals contribute valuable data to large scale but low-budget citizen science projects, e.g. in research on biodiversity. Further, the relatively new field of conservation photography provides a strong tool to implement scientific findings for the benefit of rare and threated species and their habitats.